Special Observations and Intelligence
United Nations Space Command Special Operations and Intelligence (SOI), unofficially nicknamed the Stalkers, is an elite, tier zero, special operations task force overseen by Naval Special Warfare and its senior advisory body, UNSC-SOCOM. It is an unconventional group capable of conducting high-priority infiltrations as well as provide clandestine fire support, among other applications. SOI is a regiment sized unit that was formed in 2507 with the goal of gathering and training a group of ultra-proficient, stealth infantrymen. Unlike the UNSC's , Special Operations and intelligence selects candidates from a pool of qualified soldiers already serving in one of the various branches of the UNSC Defense Force. By 2558, of the 243 active SOI operators, seventy-eight percent previously served with either Shock Operations or the Rangers, while only eight percent were affiliated with one of the UNSC Defense Force's four standard branches; the remaining portion was selected from an unknown number of undisclosed special operations groups. Because of the unit's utmost secrecy, capabilities, and priority over other units, it is not uncommon for SOI forces to be deployed at the request of members of UNSC High Command or, amid unusual circumstances, the President d'Humanité himself. History As the First Human Civil War, alternatively known as the Insurrection of 2490, raged on, hostiles to the UNSC slowly dwindled in quantity. Nevertheless, many of the larger insurgent cells managed to improve their tactics against the much more disciplined UNSC forces. Consequently, exfiltration and infiltration that suffered zero collateral casualties activities grew more difficult to execute. While both the Shock Troopers and Rangers proved their aptness, they lacked a sizable amount of the training needed for these high priority operations. Additionally, clandestine formations under the jurisdiction of UNSC Naval Intelligence were typically too few in number and their expertise was often required elsewhere. In order to surpass this predicament, Naval Special Warfare officer Lucas Arraj called for the assembly of a prototypical squadron of twelve soldiers; it was approved a month after the initial request was submitted in late 2505. The chosen combat team leader was Xavier Dorsey, a former member of and a renowned member of Orbital Drop Shock Operations. The team was assigned the codename Vector Three. After two months of provisional instruction, Vector Three's first assignment was granted. They were to accompany an ODST strike team through the assault on the Szeged Territory on Reach, a largely uninhabited, equatorial basin, as part of Operation CALDERA. Creed Special Operations and Intelligence, as per tradition, maintains a creed that exemplifies and summarizes the duties and values of the group. The cadence itself was first conjectured in 2510 by Lieutenant Imran Kruscjo; it was then modified by Senior Chief Petty Officer Alan Cobain within the succeeding six months. This version, while commonly accepted as the unit's honorary creed, was not made official until its approval by the commanding officer of the program, Commodore Lucas Arraj, on Marietta's Day, 2516. The offical SOI Creed is as follows: : i am to... :S'erve the united nations space command and special observations and intelligence with an utmost devotion to the peace and preservation of humanity, earth, and all her colonies, :'O'perate to the best of my abilities, consistently utilizing every tool, tactic, and asset allotted to me during particular activity, and :'I'nfiltrate the enemy by any means necessary, whether it is their territory, infrastructure, or network. I must combine my own capabilities with those of my comrades in order to successfully detect, destroy, and deter the enemy. :i am s.o.i., and we are stalkers. Relations Sangheili Forces Since the waning months of 2552, UNSC-SOI has coordinated joint assaults with the Tuqoi Dynasty's foremost special operations detail: the Fleet Security Division (FSD). As its name implies, Fleet Security was initially charged with maintaining order in various stellar applications, be them military or civilian, via the utilization of a variable amount of direct force. On well over two dozen occasions throughout the Great Schism, interspecies operators representing the aforementioned groups were deployed against Loyalist forces. Following the war, the two units continued maintained their ties, albeit at a much more limited level until at least the Second Great War. Behind the Scenes *"Influences" for this unit include the United States' Delta Force and the fictional Studies and Observations Group, in addition to others. Further Reading Internal *UNSC Special Operations *Ozone Six External * *[[Wikipedia:Black_operations|''Black operations'' on Wikipedia]]